A Mother's Story:The Truth Behind Grendel's Mother
by My Requiem
Summary: If you've heard of Beowulf and Grendel, You've also probably heard of Grendel's mother, but was she truely as evil as she seemed?*Finished Please R&R* Now with and Afterword By The Author
1. Part 1: Grendel's Wrath

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Part 1: Grendel's Wrath

Music flowed into my home from the world above, not just any music, human music. "Humans, I hate humans," Grendel growled in pain, "Their music is physically painful," He had said to me that night, I thought nothing of it, now I wish I had. The Music grew louder, "In the Beginning! The Beginning!? Can't those stupid humans just shut up!" Grendel yelled, "Grendel! You know better than to get all worked up over humans, now if you do not stop with all the commotion you will be grounded." I guess my words shocked him, because he stood up and swam to the bank of the lake and set out into the forest.

Later that night the music stopped, I thought nothing more of the events that transpired earlier that night, so I retired to bed. I fell into a restless sleep, mainly because my only son had not yet returned home from his midnight stroll. I never heard him return that night, If I had maybe I would have caught on to what was going on, but I did not. That morning when I awoke I went about my chores as usual, unaware of the dastardly deeds my son had done during the night.

No music flowed into my home from Herot the next night and it would not for twelve winters. Only later did I learn why.


	2. Part 2: Grendel's Demise

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Part 2: Grendel's Demise

I was completely unaware of my young son's actions during the night. I never heard him leave the lake, even though I was lying in bed awake. Somehow I knew something was wrong, I had that feeling once before, when Grendel's father died in a battle with a human named Edgetho. I knew something grave was going to occur; if I had known that I could have stopped it, I would have. Then again if I would have known about the twelve years of bloodshed, I would have also stopped it; Grendel may have been larger than me, but I was and I will always be his mother!

I was startled by the sudden appearance of screaming I rushed to my son who floated down from the dry world. "Mother," Grendel cried before he collapsed into my arms unconscious. Blood gushed out of the wound where Grendel's arm once called home, I could not hold him very long and he fell out of my arms and landed in the corner of the dwelling. I knelt beside him tears flowing from my eyes. I sat in silent vigil until all life exited my dear child's body, and I wept until the morning came. 

When the sun broke the darkness of the night, I found myself inundated with grief, I went into bed where I cried for many more hours, until a dreamless sleep came upon me. When I awoke night had fallen; I felt the need to understand what had transpired the night before, so I made my way to Herot, and to the great mead hall. 


	3. Part 3: Friend, Claw, and all

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Part 3: Friend, Claw, and all

The mead hall was empty except for one old man, who approached me with great strides. "I need to know what happened to my son Grendel," I said, he drew his sword and replied "I am Radgar, son of Jasten. The Great Beowulf has slain your son, now you have come seeking knowledge that you shall not have. Your son has been terrorizing this mead hall every night for twelve winters, killing our men. Yet you have the nerve to come here seeking answers, Wretched Wench?" "Sir Radgar, I do not seek a battle with you, all I seek are answers." 

Radgar did not bother to answer my question, instead he came at me without fear, and with one swipe of my hand he fell back unhurt. "Sir please stop, I am begging you, I mean no harm," "No harm? I seriously doubt that, I will kill you and your head will hang next to your son's claw," He pointed up, and that was when I first noticed my departed son's arm hanging from the rafters of the beautiful mead hall. Taking the advantage of my venerability, Radgar attacked again, his sword could not cut me; so I again pushed him away, he landed on his sword, which sliced through his torso gutting him.

I knew I could not leave him there for the barbaric humans to deal with, nor could I leave the arm that once belonged to my beloved child, Grendel. So I climbed to the rafters where his arm was hanging, and removed it. I then carried it and the body of the man called Radgar into the forest. When I reached the edge of the marsh, I call home, I dug a shallow grave and placed Radgar in it, to rest for eternity. I then stood and called for all my friends to come to the lake and grieve with me. I then returned to the dept of my home with Grendel's arm. I carried the arm to where Grendel's body lay in state, and placed it next to him, I then sat in the company of numerous friends who sought to comfort my grief, until he came.


	4. Part 4: Beowulf

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Part 4: Beowulf

When he entered my wet world I was sitting in the vastness of the lake remembering the past, he floated down and landed in my arms. I was frightened that something had landed on me, so I scratched at his mail shirt, until I realized that what landed on me was a human. After I made this discovery I ran all the way home, and he followed me. When I reached my home he had me trapped, he tried to free his sword, but could not undo it from it's case. Many of the guests noticed the commotion and came to my assistance and held him back allowing me to escape into the dining hall.

He had somehow escaped the clutches of my friends and entered the hall. The light from the chandelier reflected off his armor and produced a brilliant light that surrounded him. He then approached me with his sword and swung it at my head, it hit my neck with a resounding thud, and it did not cut me. I knew I had to protect myself, so I attacked him and bit a hole onto his helmet, but he escaped and threw his sword to the side. And then the man attacked me with his hands, he grabbed my shoulders causing pain unlike that I had ever felt before, and he threw me to the ground.

He stood and I knew he was ready to leap onto me, so I decided not to give him the chance. I suddenly knew this man had to be the one who killed my son, this was the man that Radgar had called Beowulf, and I lost it, I tried to rip him to shreds, but it did not work, tears flowed from my face. Suddenly he fell back onto a table filled with half eaten food, and I fell on top of him. I noticed a knife that we had used earlier to carve a deer for our funeral feast, it was brown with the blood from the deer. I tried to stab him with it; he was the one attacking me, he was the one that killed my only son, but the knife would not penetrate the mail shirt.

He found the strength to push me off of him and he stood, and looked at the wall next to him. He noticed Grendel's father's sword, a strong beautifully decorated sword hundreds of years old. He drew it from the scabbard, broke the chain from its hilt, and then approached me. He lifted the sword high into the air and swung it at me, I felt the blade cut my neck, and then nothing.


	5. Afterword By Author

Afterward:

By: The Author

This story is based on the Anglo-Saxon epic _Beowulf_. The story that I have written is more specifically based on the second part of the epic, when the lead Character "Beowulf" battles with "Grendel's Mother." In the original epic "Grendel's Mother" is characterized as a monster descended from all evil spawned on Earth. I personally felt that maybe the epic was not entirely correct.

Using this idea, I set out to tell the story from an original point of view. In my story "Grendel's Mother" is not completely aware, until her confrontation with "Radgar", of the actions of "Grendel." In fact all she knows is that her son "Grendel" was murdered; so she does what I think any mother would do, try to find answers. That night she travels to Herot where he meet's "Hrothgar's" Friend "Radgar." "Radgar" is not interested in helping her and proceeds to continually attack her, until finally she pushes him away and he falls on his sword. This part of the story was unclear to the readers, so I took great artistic license with this version of the story.

The story ends with her meeting with "Beowulf," the hero of the epic, My version of these events are exactly as they appeared in the story, with the exception of a few minor details. The Battle Hall did not fit my version of the story, so it was changed accordingly, although "Beowulf" may have perceived it as a Battle Hall. Some other changes you may notice is that of the Sword and the Glowing around "Beowulf." These were changed from the story to make it seem as if "Beowulf" was not as great a hero as he is remembered; it also helped in supporting my idea that "Grendel's Mother" was just a victim of great circumstance, and not just some evil demon.

I hope that you enjoyed "Grendel's Mother's" take on the events depicted in the epic, remember to keep an open mind.

Thank You,

Grant 

The Author


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